


For Remembrance: A Tale of Sisters

by BlackMajjicDuchess



Category: Naruto
Genre: Captivity, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Family Drama, Illusions, Memory Loss, Separations, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-15
Updated: 2014-03-18
Packaged: 2018-01-12 11:54:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1185927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackMajjicDuchess/pseuds/BlackMajjicDuchess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After repeatedly disappointing her father, Hinata Hyuuga was sent away. Hanabi instead was raised as the Hyuuga heir, her older sister both forgotten and scorned. Separated all their lives, Hanabi has never forgotten her sister, although her father forbid her to speak of her ever again. The time is nearing when Hanabi will be given the absolute power within the Hyuuga clan, and she has only one thought in mind...</p><p>...Hinata.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Empty Room Named Hinata

**Author's Note:**

> Previously posted on fanfiction.net under the same pen name on 7/25/2010.
> 
> Dedicated to my sister, Alexa.
> 
> This is the first fanfic I had attempted that does not center around some conflict involving romantic love. Instead, it is a tale about the unbreakable bond between sisters, no matter how many years they have been separated or the trials they endured to be kept apart. It Is Hanabi's story about the sister she continued to love in secret, and their eventual reunion.

Chapter One-An Empty Room Named Hinata

She had never led a normal life, but then, she doubted that any of the children of the greater clans of Konoha had ever had a normal life. Being born a Hyuuga meant that she was always treated as if she were made of glass, yet expected to act as if she were made of steel. From the time she was very young, Hanabi Hyuuga had been pushed to be her very best, better than her sister, and she had been the best because her father wanted her to be. He pushed both of them, Hinata and Hanabi, because he regretted not having any sons. Hiashi had always wanted a son to take over as the head of the Hyuuga clan; it was a well known fact throughout the entire Village. It was yet another reason why he was so harsh toward Neji: he had been jealous that his brother had been blessed with a son while he was cursed with nothing but daughters.

Because Hanabi had been precocious as a child, she knew that fact almost as soon as she were capable of cogent thought. Hiashi had wanted sons, and was instead stuck with two inadequate daughters, the older of which was a greater disappointment-but not by much-than the younger. It was not a secret to any of the Village, yet alone the clan, that Hinata had been a great disappointment to her father, so much so that he had practically pawned her off as soon as Hanabi had shown to be the stronger fighter. He had all but disowned Hinata and made it clear that she, Hanabi, were the superior daughter. It had been made evident, but not spoken, that he meant to give Hanabi the rights of Head of the Clan when she had reached her age of majority. It would break her sister's heart if that happened. Head of the Clan had traditionally been given to the eldest child of the main family; it had just always been that way.

Hanabi was in a very difficult position. She had always done her best because excelling had been a means of garnering the love which every child craved. As a little girl, she had wanted to please her parents. To please her mother, all she needed to do was please her father, and to please her father…

"Hanabi, train as hard as you can with your tutors and become strong. If you can become a jounin ninja someday, I will be very proud."

"Hanabi, I want you to spar with your older sister, Hinata. She's been practicing a lot, but she's not very strong, so try your best."

"Hanabi, I want you to fight your sister every day to try to make her stronger. She's not as quick a learner as you."

"Hanabi, I'm sending Hinata away." This one was said with a stern expression, even for Hiashi. "I want you to keep trying your best. It's clear that you're the better Hyuuga."

"Hanabi, I'm so proud of how strong you've become…"

She had thrived under the praise of her father as a young girl, and had reveled in defeating Hinata that fateful time because it raised her in her parents' eyes. She only wanted the love and admiration of her parents, and she had done her very best, just as she was told. When Hinata had been sent away, Hanabi had been sad at first, but after only a very short time, she began receiving extra attention. The other clan members began looking at her differently, as if she had become the eldest child and Hinata had ceased to exist. It made her uncomfortable at first, but it didn't take long for her to enjoy it. Her father smiled at her, and that made her mother smile at her, and so she smiled. For a while, she hardly missed her older sister.

But after a while, being an only child made her bored. She missed playing chase with Hinata, or playing House and pretending to bake cookies out of mud. She missed playing dress up in their mother's clothes. She still remembered vividly the bright red scandalous heels and the mess they had made with their mother's makeup. They had not fit into her dresses, not by a long shot, but they imagined that they did and pranced around the house like splendid women on their way to a wondrous party with delicious cakes.

"My, you are very pretty girls," her mother had cooed. "How did I get so lucky to have two daughters as gentle and beautiful as you both?"

They had both preened under their mother's attention. They weren't like other sisters. Many sets of sisters hate each other until they age and mature, annoyed by the other's very existence. Not so with Hanabi and Hinata. They had been the best of friends as little girls, hardly ever apart. Sparring had been something they did to impress their father and nothing more. It never changed the way they felt about one another. Neither of them felt the need to compete for attention with the either. Attention was a bonus, freely given, freely taken, and not something they fought over. Hanabi's world was lifeless without Hinata.

By the time she was thirteen, Hanabi had become obsessed with getting her sister back.

It had been an innocent question. "Father, when is Hinata going to come home?" she had asked one day as they strolled through the courtyard.

He slapped her, completely out of nowhere, sending her sprawling to the ground. "Don't speak of your sister, Hanabi. She's dead to us, now. You are my one and only daughter."

She rubbed the side of her face, but she knew better than to shed a tear or cry out in pain. She also knew very well not to glare or make angry faces at her father. Hiashi ran his household with an iron fist. No one disobeyed the head of the clan. No one disrespected the head of the clan. Instead, she knelt and bowed her head, ignoring her stinging cheek. "Yes Father. I'm sorry to have misbehaved." At thirteen, she meant it. It was always a grave matter to upset her father.

His gaze softened. "You honor me by being an obedient and diligent daughter, Hanabi. One day, you will be the Head of the Hyuuga Clan. You make me very proud." He kept on walking, her infraction practically forgotten, and that indicated that she was allowed to rise. She followed him, grateful to have been forgiven so quickly.

That was the first time he had voiced that she had replaced Hinata. She had thought it odd then, at thirteen, that he had reprimanded her for mentioning her sister, but it was something she only thought about while she was alone, just before bed. It seemed all of the best and worst thoughts happened right before one fell asleep. That was the first time she had really wondered about what it was like to be Hinata.

And as she had that thought, her memories began evolving. Thoughts she had had years earlier in her life replayed and fleshed out. Details returned that had never been there before. She could vividly recall, now, the disappointment Hiashi had shown regarding Hinata. She remembered how he had walked away when Hanabi had sent Hinata sprawling across the floor of the training room. She remembered how harshly she had always been punished for her shortcomings. Hanabi could see in Hinata's eyes and in her actions that she had always done her very best, and she had watched with naive wonder at how Hinata's spirit was being progressively broken. Before long she had withdrawn almost entirely, barely able to speak to anyone, her confidence disintegrating as time wore on. What before had been a bright, gentle girl turned into a frightened little rabbit who was hard pressed to shine.

Hinata should have always shone. When she was little, she had envied her sister the attention she had gotten from the rest of the clan. It had always seemed that Hinata was a step ahead of her, simply because in a room they both occupied, it was Hinata who drew the attention because she was destined to be their leader someday. When she grew a little older, she felt deeply for her sister's situation. The clan was watching her intently, both because they felt sorry for her and were fascinated by her slow, spiraling plummet into shame. Watching Hinata fall from her father's grace had been like watching a slow crash: it was simply hard not to watch, but there was nothing to say to stop it. Hinata had been broken by her own family. The little time she had spent at home when she still lived there, she put on her strongest face for her father…

…but in private, with Hanabi, Hinata was a shell of her former self.

"Hinata! Let's play outside today. I really want to show you the frogs I found!"

"I can't, today, Hanabi. Sorry." She was moving very slowly, Hanabi remembered, as if her entire body were sore. Her eyes were hollow, as if all of the life were gone, and there seemed to always be tears welled there, trying desperately not to fall.

"Hinata, playyyy!" she whined, trying to appeal to her good-natured sister, hopping from foot to foot with her fists balled at her sides.

Hinata turned then, the expression on her face forlorn. It didn't really look like Hinata was in there. "I really wish I could, Hanabi, but I have to practice. I need to get our Father acknowledge me." Her eyes traveled to a faraway place, as if wistfully seeing a future that might never come.

"But Hinataaaaa!" she whined. Hinata seemed lost in thought, not hearing her. "Hiiiiinaaaataaaa! Heyyyy!" Upset that Hinata refused to play with her and was seemingly ignoring her, she grew spiteful. She harrumphed and began stalking away. "It doesn't matter how much you practice, Hinata. You're still never going to be good enough for Father. You can't ever beat me and it makes him so mad!" She had not meant it to sound that mean, but Hinata gasped, her eyes widening with hurt, and her shoulders tensed right before she ran off. She was already crying.

At the time, she had thought nothing of it, but now, at thirteen, Hanabi cried. Even she had been unkind to her sister. Other memories floated to the surface. Innocent words at their young ages sounded so harsh to her now. She felt terrible. She'd been a rotten sister, and she felt the sting of that realization now.

At fourteen, she had her first date. She went to Ichiraku with a boy from another genin team. It had been an innocent afternoon. They walked to the ramen shop, hand in hand, laughing about their missions. At Ichiraku, he had ramen and she tried to eat hers (although she really hated ramen) before letting him finish it. When he dropped her off, he kissed her softly on the lips and ran off laughing. "I'll catch you later, Hana!" he called over his shoulder. "Stay beautiful!" She had shaken with the excitement of the whole day and fell into bed breathless. As the excitement dulled slightly, though, she became increasingly aware of the vacancy of her room.

The emptiness of the room she had once shared with her older sister was depressing. She had so many things she had wanted to talk about with someone, anyone! That was the night when she started talking to Hinata, even though she wasn't actually there. "Hinata! It's been so long since we've seen each other, and I can't not talk to you any more. I hope that somehow, some way, you might hear me right now... I just had the most glorious evening! I wish you could have seen it! I went on a date with Hiruo! Can you believe it! Someone actually likes me, like, like likes me! I wonder how you are doing? Do you have a boyfriend, too?" She gazed out at the moon, and wondered idly if Hinata was staring at the same one. Where was she, and what was she up to? Was she cuddling with a strong, cute boy too? Was he keeping her safe? She sure hoped so.

Of course, her older sister did not answer, so she sighed and went to bed, her good night slightly soured by not being able to share it with someone. What good was a memory that you couldn't talk about? Some things weren't meant to be secrets, and she felt like she wanted to shout out her good mood to the world. A dark, empty room was a poor substitute, but perhaps a dark empty room named Hinata would suffice. Hanabi talked to the empty room named Hinata every time something in her life needed to be shared, like the time she had made Chunin at fifteen. Her father had been so proud! "Hinata, I made Chunin today! Father was so proud! I heard you made Chunin last year, too! That's great!"

But her father had heard her that time, and no matter how proud he had been that his youngest daughter had promoted in rank, it didn't seem to excuse her from pretending her sister still existed. And that's when the real problems started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the beginning of a story about the unbreakable bond between two sisters, and is dedicated to my little sister, Alexa. It doesn't matter how much happens to me in my lifetime, or how long it is between the time we see each other. Sisters are for life. No matter what happens between us, she will always be my best friend. For Hanabi and Hinata, they show that years of separation and outside influence does nothing to change the love between siblings.
> 
> This is a feel-good story. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. If you have a sibling that you feel the same way about, I'd not mind hearing a good memory or two. This is that kind of story. It's a good time to reflect on how much that person means to you. If you don't want to share, that's fine, but I like people and I'd love to hear your story. ^_^
> 
> Here's mine: My sister and I always try to have an "us" day whenever I can go visit her (we spend most of our days apart... before she was in high school and i was in college, then we lived together for a year, and now I'm in grad school and she's in college). When we can make time for an "us" day, we get ice cream, or coffee, or many times a pot of tea at this darling little tea place, then see a movie or go shopping, and generally bum around a "shoppy" area that has lots of random places to window shop. We've gone to the beach on some of those days as well, and sometimes we get dinner, too. No one else is invited, and it's just the two of us. The best entertainment is the jokes that we make though. The events are just an excuse to spend time together.
> 
> (Come to think of it, I may share a memory on every page. :P Haha... I'm the author so I can do that kind of thing.)


	2. Levels of Wisdom

"Who were you talking to, Hanabi?" he asked her, arms folded across his chest. His expression was not pleased.

"I was…" she couldn't lie, not to her father, though in this particular instance she knew that the truth was going to be problematic. "I was talking to my sister, Hinata." His eyebrows furrowed downward, so she hurriedly explained. "She's not there or anything, but I like to pretend she is sometimes so that I have someone to talk to. Forgive me... I miss her." She bowed her head, lowering her eyes from her father's to show respect, and clasped her hands at her waist.

She didn't even see it coming when he grabbed her hair and jerked her over his knee. He paddled her ass so hard that her whole back stung from the impact. She yelped, both from surprise and pain, and squelched her cries as much as she could as he struck again and again as he growled to her, "You don't have a sister. There is no one alive named Hinata Hyuuga. I forbid you to speak of such a thing again. Talking to imaginary people is a sign of insanity. If I catch you talking to anyone that doesn't exist again, I'll have you committed." He stopped spanking her. "Is that clear, Hanabi?"

It was humiliating. As soon as he dropped her to the ground, she scrambled backward and to her knees, immediately bending into a polite bow. "Yes, Father… I mean…" She felt the obedient daughter within her stir, challenged. She had grown up obeying this man, her father, without question. What the father says is law, she had been taught. He provides for the family, he maintains order, he protects those in his house… but something here was not right. Something within her snapped as she realized what had just transpired. He had told her that she didn't have a sister. Not that she _no_ _longer_ had a sister, but that she had _never_ had a sister? 'Imaginary people,' had he said? She unbent her bow, rising to simply a kneeling position. Her face warped into a scowl, anger bubbling up in her like a fountain. This wasn't even about her, and Hinata was not here to stand up for herself. She felt stronger, knowing that, because it was more reason for her to stand up for her. "I do _so_ have a sister, and her name is Hinata Hyuuga!" she said loudly. A couple of faces peeked out from their houses, trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on. "You can try to pretend she doesn't exist, Father, or that she never existed, but you won't convince me! I loved her, and I still do!" He moved to strike her, but she had already fled, running far from the Hyuuga household, to somewhere she didn't even know yet, even as her father shouted at her to return.

Without realizing it, she had wound up on Hiruo's doorstep, panting and out of breath. She knocked on the door, and Hiruo answered. "Hana?" he started, both surprised and pleased until he realized she was crying, then his voice was immediately thick with concern. "Hana, what happened?" She explained to him about her sister and her father in one rush of breath.

Just as he hugged her, his father appeared in the entryway room. "Is that the Hyuuga girl you've been dating?" he asked. When his son nodded, he beckoned her inside. She thanked him. Hiruo's mother made tea and wrapped a blanket around her and let her sit with Hiruo, so she thanked her, too. Hiruo, his arm draped around her trembling shoulders, immediately started making a plan-he was always one to develop a strategy on the spot-for arranging a meeting with Hinata.

It was in the middle of these plans that her world was cut to pieces again.

Hiashi Hyuuga crossed the room in three long strides, his face a thunderhead. "Hanabi, come with me," he commanded, his voice seeming to fill the room and her entire mind both. For the first time ever, she felt true fear slice its way through her bones. She froze, wanting to run again and shrinking away as he reached for her, so he gripped her arm roughly and dragged her away from Hiruo, who did nothing. He couldn't. A chunin could not stand up to the head of the Hyuuga family and expect to win. Still, as pathetic as it was, she wished that he had tried, for her.

Hiruo's father was saying quietly to his wife, "I had to call her father, Kimia. It was the right thing to do." He didn't look very sorry, though, just aggravated by the situation.

"Not when her father was what drove her here," she argued softly, disapproving, as Hanabi was dragged out of the house. Hanabi loved her then, but it didn't change anything that was about to happen.

* * *

She was beaten with a switch as soon as she had returned home, but what was even worse than the beating was the punishment. "You are never to see that boy again, Hanabi." His tone was firm. Final.

"But Father! Hiruo has been my boyfriend for over a year! That's not fair!" She shrieked.

"It's not up for debate! You are my daughter and you should obey your father! You should have considered the consequences when you ran away from home!" He turned his back on her, leaving her sore and distraught in the darkness of an empty room.

She stared at the closed door in shock, unable to accept what had just happened. The smiling face of Hiruo filled her thoughts, a short replay of all of their memories together, including that first kiss on the doorstep of the Hyuuga estate. And then it disintegrated. She felt her chest constrict, and her fingers itched as the declaration her father had imposed manifested into physical pain. She inhaled one deep breath, held it, and then let it out in one painful wail that turned into a chorus of sobs. She involuntarily curled up into a ball, frustrated beyond belief. Her father had forbid her from seeing her first love, and she knew that he would tell the boy's father that they were not allowed to be together anymore. Of course Hiruo's father would obey. If the great Hyuuga leader said that his daughter was off limits, then there was nothing he would dare say to contradict that. He would probably tell Hiruo that he had been lucky to see her at all. She cried until she had nothing left, misery becoming her blanket. She and Hiruo were no more. That was it.

And then, when she felt she had nothing left at all, she remembered her sister's kind and smiling face. "Hinata," she whispered tremulously. "I wish you were here with me, now. You wouldn't believe it, but Father said I can't see Hiruo anymore." A moment later she added, "Actually, you probably would believe it, wouldn't you?" She laughed humorlessly, then sat in silence for several minutes. "I miss you, Hinata. I will see you again someday, I promise."

* * *

Of course she could not continue to obey her father when his demands of her were so ridiculous. She began acting out, more than ever. At sixteen, she was an insufferable daughter, but her ninja techniques excelled. Her rotation was flawless, so much so that even her blind spot was minimized into a dot so tiny that it was not even worth mentioning. The gentle fist technique reached a new level of mastery. She faced Neji as a final test and sent him sprawling across the Hyuuga lawn, defeated. Neji did not look pleased, but faced with a member of the Head Family, he bowed in acceptance of his defeat and grated out praise laced with acid. Hiashi glared at him for his infraction, but refrained from using the subjugation jutsu that would have made her cousin scream in agony. Having surpassed all in the Hyuuga clan save for her father, Hanabi had reached a new level of clan respect. Much to her dismay, though, it only meant she got to spend more time with her father while he taught the other aspects of Hyuuga clan leadership. They butted heads often, and she reminded him as much as possible about the sister he insisted she didn't have.

It was one such afternoon, when he was explaining her privileges, that served as a good example. "You see, Hanabi, when you get to be the head of the household, you will get to-"

She interrupted him, a subtle form of disrespect. "I won't be head of the household, Father. Hinata is the oldest." She said it with perfect calmness, meeting her father's expression glare for glare. At sixteen, she was quite tall for a girl, nearly able to look her father in the eye. She loved the power she felt from being that tall. She felt like she might be her father's equal.

He had ceased attempting to beat it into her. Her will was too strong for physical punishment to work any longer, so he resorted to psychological tactics, or so he thought. To her, they were pathetic shadows of threats he'd never enforce. "You keep it up, and I'll let Neji be head of household and disinherit you both."

_Disinherit you both_ , he had said. She felt her heart soar hearing him admit indirectly that she did actually have a sister, but she kept the victory private. She smiled at him instead. "I know you won't do that, Father, so don't lie. It's _so_ lost on me." She rolled her eyes. It was a very old trick of Hiashi's, those threats, a tired old trick. It was annoying now.

He looked like he wanted to hit her, but he didn't. It was odd how one's parents become so much less impressive when one aged. She used to hold her parents in the highest regard, awestruck by the power and wisdom of her older family members, even Hinata. However, being sixteen had shown her that sometimes, being older just meant that you were… older. Age did not grant wisdom to those that had never sought it in the first place. It only granted wrinkles and an inability to accept change to one's life. Hiashi's arrogance stunted his intellectual growth early. Besides that, both she and her father suspected that she was stronger than he was, and it meant that the respect she felt for him was slipping. He had become an old man on a power trip to her, and she wasn't sorry. The years had taught her that Hiashi was a good ninja, but a bitter, petty little man. She failed to see how her mother had ever loved him, but given her mother's temperament, she imagined that her mother, for all her kindness, had all the personality of a cardboard box. It was apparent that Hanabi had inherited her father's temper, but her mother's compassion to balance it out…. lucky for Hanabi.

Having settled into her own skin, at seventeen, Hanabi gained another level of wisdom. She realized that, sometimes, one needed to give in in order to get what they wanted. Hiashi was beginning to doubt his decision to let Hanabi take over the head of the household and was looking to other members of the family for a suitable replacement. It was in that precarious situation that she realized what being the clan leader would mean. Hiashi was Hyuuga law. Hiashi made the rules. That meant that if she were to inherit, she would be the one to make the rules. If she wanted to inherit though, that meant pleasing her father. So, at seventeen, she swallowed her pride and fell back into obeying her father. At seventeen, though, obeying her father made her feel sick. Becoming the dutiful daughter once again made her feel dirty and cheap.

She persevered, though, because there was one person in the world who deserved a change in her destiny, and Hanabi was willing to endure all the suffering she had to in order to change that person's life. As time grew ever closer to the moment when rights to the Hyuuga clan would be entirely hers, there was one person foremost in her thoughts.

Hinata.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know... you guys don't like my short chapters. I'm sorry. I try to make them longer but I am such an impatient writer! I can't bring myself to make it drag. I even skip lines sometimes when I am reading. "I don't care about your detail... I want the STORY!" It's a character flaw.
> 
> I stop my chapters when the 'scene' has ended. I don't like putting more than one sphere of the plot in one chapter. I like to make many little chapters instead. Sorry if it gets irritating... I am trying my best to change that, but y'are what y'are.
> 
> Story time: My sister and I thoroughly enjoy the movie Labyrinth, from the worm with the accent to the laughably tight pants to the "Ludo fwend!" So, randomly and for no reason at all, we start a dialogue that goes as follows:
> 
> You remind me of the babe.
> 
> What babe?
> 
> The babe with the power.
> 
> What power?
> 
> The power of voodoo.
> 
> Who do?
> 
> You do.
> 
> Do what?
> 
> Remind me of the babe!
> 
> We've exchanged this at work (we used to work together), while hanging out wherever, or randomly just whenever. It's a good default space filler. It immediately evokes images of one of our favorite movies, which inevitably leads to "Now I wanna watch Labyrinth!" and a pleasant slumber party-esque atmosphere.
> 
> I take this moment to remind you... we STILL do these things, and she's 18 and I am 22. :P
> 
> Ta ta for now.


	3. I Can Find Her

A week from her eighteenth birthday, her father sat across from her at the tea table. "Hanabi," he began, his expression veritably shining (for Hiashi), "you have been… a  _challenging_ experience. No one ever really prepares a man for being the father of a daughter-" not daughters, she noticed. They were apparently back to the I-only-have-one-daughter motif, "-and it has been truly difficult at times to be your honored father. However, you have really grown over the past couple of years into a very strong and bright young woman." But not a loving or passionate one. She felt bitter.

"I thank you, Father," she replied, bowing her head in thanks.

He nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "As you well know, it has been my intention to pass on the rights to head of household to you upon reaching your age of majority. With that day so near now, I just wanted to speak to you, one on one, about what you should do once you are in charge of the Hyuuga family." She also noticed he chose to ignore that short period of time when he had almost given up on her, too, just like he had Hinata.

 _Oh dear_ , she thought,  _here it comes._  She smiled, waiting as if anxious to hear, though in her mind she was rolling her eyes. Her father's arrogance never ceased to amaze her.

He kept his expression serious. "You must keep the main family and the branch family separate. I know that there are people outside of the clan who will tell you that our practice is wrong, but it is our family tradition and you must not violate our beliefs."

"Yes, Father," she answered. She had absolutely no intention of carrying out his wishes, but if she wanted her rights as head of the family, she would need him to believe she intended to be exactly like him until the power was actually hers to control. The branch and main family system was certainly going to be abolished. She had never seen the point of it or agreed with the reasons she had been given.

He smiled, clearly thinking he had raised another Hiashi despite her not being born male-surely he still looked upon that as an unfortunate setback-and glad that his rules would continue to control his clan. "Also, you know that your sister left our family in disgrace. She is not welcome back into the Hyuuga clan, not ever. I think you know very well, deep down in your heart, that Hinata is not worthy of this great and noble family."

She bit her lip to keep from screaming. Hinata did not leave in disgrace, she was cast out by their father in anger, her memory warped by his words until the clan feared to even speak her name. Hiashi did not know the first thing about the meaning of the word 'family.' Family was a bond that could never be broken, no matter how far away a person was cast. "Yes, Father," she managed to answer him sweetly. "I look back on my… foolishness… and am ashamed. She should never have been born a Hyuuga." She wanted to rip her own tongue out. The first thing she would do when she saw Hinata again was apologize for even saying such things.

Her father nodded, seeming to accept her words. "You were a much better daughter than she ever was. I am proud to have had two daughters so that one would please me when the other failed. You will do great things for our honorable family. All of the rights to the clan will be yours when you turn eighteen. I believe you will not let me down." There was a veiled threat in those words. He might have said it that way, but what he meant was "you had better not make me look bad." She smiled again.

He poured the tea, then, and they clicked their glasses together. While they enjoyed their tea in near silence, chatting only about what Hiashi's wishes were when he retired and her pretending to accept them all, she plotted in her mind. Hanabi had lots of changes in mind for the Hyuuga clan, and she knew her father was not going to like any of them. There was not a lot of time left. After their teatime meeting, Hiashi told her that she was now free to go wherever she wished so that she begin to invite whichever Villagers she deemed worthy to attend the ceremony in which Hiashi would formally abdicate.

She had one thought: Hinata. Her mind was prematurely celebrating that the moment at last had arrived. She was free to seek out her sister at long last! And, she had an idea where to look to find her. It would not be long now before she'd be able to apologize for her behavior and spend some time with her.

She considered meeting up with Hiruo to try to repair whatever relationship they might have had, but she wasn't fourteen anymore. She knew that although he had been her only relationship thus far, they weren't going to pick up where they left off that easily. Besides, she wasn't sure she wanted to. After seeing how his father reacted when she had showed up at their house that evening, and how Hiruo had done absolutely nothing that night to stand up for her, she decided he wasn't really what was best for her. She walked right past his house on her way to Kurenai Yuuhi's house. All she remembered about Hinata being taken away was that Kurenai was the one who came to collect her, and Kurenai was Hinata's sensei when she had been a genin.

She knocked on the door. She heard a quick succession of little footsteps before the door clicked open and a young boy's face peeked out from the crack. "Hello!" the little boy said cheerfully. "This is our home!"

"Um, is Kurenai here?" she asked the little boy. Who was he? Her son?

"Hiruzen!" chided a soft feminine voice from within. "What have I said about opening the door to strangers?" She sounded mildly exasperated. Hanabi heard another set of footsteps as Kurenai came to the door. She opened the door wider, and Hanabi recognized the woman who had gently led her sister away, both of their expressions full of worry and sadness. She suppressed a wave of bitterness as the woman smiled genuinely at her. "Sorry about that. My little boy isn't supposed to open the door to strangers, and he knows that very well, don't you, Hiruzen?" He nodded and apologized, and Kurenai swung the door open wide. "Come on in, Hanabi."

Hanabi was surprised she recognized her after all the years, but she nodded and followed her inside. "Thank you." She took a look around before adding politely, "You have a very lovely home."

"Thank you. Would you like anything to drink?" Hanabi declined, and the two of them took seats in the living room while the little boy returned to the kitchen table to color in some pictures of fluffy animals. "Forgive me for being blunt," Kurenai said, "but why have you come here, Hanabi?"

Hanabi realized that Kurenai might wonder at her motives. She had not seen Hinata in over ten years, so it begged the question, why now? "I'm not offended by your bluntness. I am sure that my sudden appearance would seem strange. I'm just trying to find Hinata. I haven't seen her for longer than I am comfortable admitting. Is she here?" She was grateful, actually, that Kurenai had chosen to skip the small talk. She had no desire to wait any longer.

Kurenai's expression darkened; it made Hanabi wonder why. "What do you want with Hinata?" she asked cautiously.

She shifted uncomfortably on the cushion. She was protecting Hinata, Hanabi realized. "She's my sister, Kurenai. I want her to be my sister again, that's all. Now, where is she?"

Kurenai looked away… her attitude was beginning to irritate Hanabi, but she didn't say anything. She knew that if she wanted to find out where Hinata was, she'd have to be very nice to Kurenai Yuuhi much as she had had to appease her father to achieve the same goal. Her impatience threatened to make her shout though. She'd waited over a decade for this moment, and even a few more minutes were grating on her nerves. "Hinata's gone, Hanabi." She refused to meet her eyes.

 _Gone_? Gone where? Her heartbeat quickened. "What do you mean gone? Like, on a vacation?" Kurenai opened her mouth, but words wouldn't fall out. She swallowed, and tried again. "Gone where?" she repeated, her voice rising in volume. "I swear, on all that is holy, Kurenai if you don't tell me-"

"She's  _dead_ , Hanabi," Kurenai interrupted, her features hollow.

Hanabi stopped breathing for a moment, her blood frozen. "No," she breathed. "It can't be. You're lying," she said more forcefully, denying the possibility. Kurenai was shaking her head, tears forming in her crimson eyes. "Why are you lying to me?"

Kurenai met her gaze, pain laced in her irises. "I'm sorry, Hanabi... I... I thought someone would have told you. It's been five years." Her voice cracked on the last word. "Now I'm going to have to ask you to leave. It still hurts me to speak of it and... though it must sound silly, you look just like her. It's killing me just to see you here. Please, go." She rose from the couch and went into the kitchen with the boy, leaving her there, alone and in pain. Hanabi let herself out, the unreasonable bitterness returning in torrents.

As soon as the door was shut behind her, she ran. She ran until she was tired, and collapsed onto her knees. She dropped her head onto her palms and screamed. _Why? After all this time, why? I've worked so hard to finally see her, and now I never will._  She wept for her loss. She wept for the sister she once had, the kind and gentle Hinata she had dressed dolls with. She wept for the years they had lost, the memories they should have shared and never did. But most of all, she wept for the life that Hinata had lived until the very end, that she had never known her little sister or seen her grow up because of their father's spite. She hated him most of all at this moment, and now it no longer mattered if she hated him or not. Hating him, even killing him in rage, would not bring Hinata back to her. She stared at her hands, wanting to see them shake in anguish and finding herself angry they weren't, so she curled them into fists and slammed them into the dirt. She had been too late to even see her sister, and had not even known she had died. She felt wretched and pissed off all in one neat little package. She screamed again, this time in anger and, finding the strength once more, she began running again.

This time she wound up somewhere that actually made sense. She sank to her knees in front of the polished black stone that so many, Shinobi and otherwise, had stood, sat, or laid down in front of to cry for someone lost. At first she just placed her hands on it, wanting to feel some sort of connection to her lost big sister. Instead, she felt a smooth, cold, unfeeling stone. She scrubbed the remaining tears from her eyes to eliminate the blurriness, and then she started reading. She needed to find the name of her beloved older sister, any sort of confirmation that she had truly existed and had died a Shinobi, as Hinata had always dreamed. "Hinata Hyuuga, Hinata Hyuuga," she chanted as she scanned hundreds of names, none of them mattering to her even the slightest. If it were any other day she might have felt disgraceful for discarding the other names, but she had a feeling the dead would have been understanding. Only one name mattered to her now, and she would find it. "Hinata... Hinata... Hinata..."

"You aren't going to find her name there," said a ragged voice behind her. A handsome man in a leather jacket with red markings on his face was standing there. He held a hand out to her. "Kiba Inuzuka," he introduced himself. "You're Hanabi, aren't you?" She nodded and shook his hand. "Kurenai-sensei said that she told you about Hinata, but she never tells the full truth on the subject." He placed a cigarette in his mouth, then lit it with a silver lighter from his jacket pocket. "I figured you'd be here after you found out. I'm here pretty much every day... Hinata's name won't ever be on that stone, but it's really all I've got to hang onto anymore."

"Huh?" Why wouldn't Hinata's name be on the stone? She experienced a moment of nausea as she wondered if perhaps Hinata had been labeled a disgrace to the Village as well. Was she never going to find respect or peace of any kind?

"We don't actually… know… if Hinata is dead," he said slowly, exhaling a ghostly blue puff of smoke. "She disappeared five years ago in a fight with the Akatsuki, and we haven't seen or heard from her since. It's likely she is dead, but we can't be entirely certain. It's just not-"

"Wait!" she interrupted. "Hinata is alive?" She felt the icy needle of hope, and it threatened to make her shatter.

He gave her a very worried look. "It's possible, but-"

"Where?" she pressed, hungry for information.

"Hanabi," he started. "Hinata has been missing for- _five_ -years. She disappeared in a battle against the- _Akatsuki_." He placed careful emphasis on the key words. "We tried for over a year to track her down, but the trail is cold. I'd have been able to track her myself if there was any trace of her left. I searched alone when everyone else had given up. I spent another two years trying to find her by myself until my own mother dragged me out of there. She's just… gone. There's not a trace to be found." He scrubbed at his forehead and sucked hard on the cigarette between his lips.

She eyed him sideways. "You loved her, didn't you?" she asked. She could tell by the way he spoke about her, the anguish that bubbled up to the surface. The dark, telltale circles beneath his eye sockets. Regret.

He looked at her. "I never told her," he admitted. "But, yes. Somehow I feel like there's something I should have done. I screwed up. I had to have screwed up, because I'm always screwing up." His eyes held a great deal of sadness, and guilt.

Hanabi felt her strength returning as the news of Hinata's fate sank in. "If she's alive, I can find her." And she meant it, too.

"How?" he asked her, disbelieving. "I just told you, I spent years looking for her. What makes you think you can just find her?" He didn't look happy.

She smiled. "Because I'm her sister."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story time!  
> The reason my sister and I grew close was because I had a social burp during my senior year. In a circle of three best friends, sometimes one gets kind of kicked out... that was me. The thing was, at the time I got sort of kicked out, my boyfriend and I also broke up. I was in a very rough spot, and because I had focused on only the couple of friends, I had no friends left. My sister and her friends adopted me into their circle, which as a senior in high school with a younger sister, that was a little awkward in public, but I truly appreciated their compassion. It was because of this that my sister and I ever really grew close. I was forced to seek her company because I had no one else, and it ended up being that in the time my sister and I had NOT hung out, she had become a very cool person. A lot like me and very funny. We got along a lot better than I think either of us expected, and from then on it just kind of carried over to the rest of our lives to the present day.


	4. Closing the Distance

She was home just long enough to grab her ninja tools and as many supplies as she could carry. She had no idea how long it was going to take her to find Hinata, but she wasn't coming back without her. After she had enough supplies, she ran straight for the gate of Konoha, giddy with excitement. She had absolutely no idea where to start looking, but she didn't care. Somewhere out there in that world was her big sister, and she was now the only one who cared enough to keep looking. How could they just give up on her like that and leave her to die? Just as she had cleared the border to the village, though, she heard  _him_ again.

"Hanabi, wait!" Kiba called. She heard a large dog bark, and upon turning noticed that Kiba was accompanied by a large white and brown dog whose face looked a lot friendlier than his jaws. She waited while they caught up to her. "I'm coming with you," Kibs stated, matter-of-factly.

"No," she said, her eyes narrowing. " _You_ gave up on her, too. I don't want you to come." She turned to leave again. She had waited over a decade to spend time alone with her sister, and truth be told, she didn't want anyone to share this moment with her. It may have been selfish, but at that point, she really just didn't care what anyone else wanted. She'd spent her lifetime being what someone else wanted her to be, doing what someone else wanted her to do. She never wanted to live that way again.

"Hanabi, please," he pleaded, looking scared. "I didn't want to give up on her. I was practically ordered to let the matter go. I want to come with you. I made the mistake of never telling her I cared. The first thing I'm going to do when I see her is apologize, I promise."

Her eyes widened. She had thought much the same thing very recently, and she still meant it. Besides, she also should have tried to find Hinata much sooner than she had, and she had not because she feared her father. Kiba had kept looking for her until someone had made him stop. They weren't so different, after all, she decided. "Fine," she relented. "But we're moving fast. No chit chat. Just take me to the last place you saw her."

He nodded, grateful. Would he really have let her go alone after deciding to come? She wished she had some way of knowing, but she supposed it wasn't really important to know the answer anyway. "Follow me," he said, and dashed off into the wilderness.

A week from the village, Kiba stopped her at an old rock quarry. There didn't seem to be anything special about the place, and she had her doubts. "Are you sure this is it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. It didn't look like any sort of place worthy of the title "place that swallowed up my big sister."

"I did say I was searching for years, didn't I?" he growled. "I know this place. This was the last place I ever saw her." He spun around, taking in the scenery.

"Alright," she sighed. "I believe you." She looked around, too, unsure of what she was looking for. They walked slowly around the area, searching for clues to Hinata's whereabouts. Hanabi looked the area over with the perception of someone who was in a new place, while Kiba scrutinized the area with a critical eye, searching for the slightest detail he may have missed over years of attempted tracking. Several minutes passed where neither of them really said anything.

"Well?" Kiba pressed, finally unable to keep quiet. "What's the big plan?" Akamaru was sniffing around the area, trying to pick up a trail.

"I don't have one," she admitted quietly. "I was sort of planning on winging it."

"What?" he exclaimed. "How the heck are you supposed to find a five year old dead trail if you have no idea what to do?" He was trembling, she noted. Was he scared, excited, or angry?

She saw his hopes being replaced with doubts and anger, and her heart went out to him. She understood his frustrations all too well. She hoped he realized that. "Relax, Kiba," she said calmly. "I'm  _going_ to find her. Just trust me." Truthfully, she had no idea what to do next. So she stood there, thinking, Kiba growing more impatient with every passing moment. Even Akamaru began fidgeting. He had failed to find a scent, and he was stumped and irritated. She sat down and started talking to the air as if she were in her bedroom in the darkness again. "Hinata," she said quietly. Kiba looked at her, confused. She closed her eyes to avoid feeling self conscious. "Hinata, I'm trying to find you. It's been forever since we've seen each other, and I can't wait any longer. Where are you, sister? Where do we find you?" She waited for an answer. Kiba's ears were strained, waiting, listening, hoping beyond his capacity that something magic was about to happen. Akamaru whined.

They waited for several minutes, ears strained against the gentle wind. Nothing.

She sighed, dropping her head to her hands. "This was stupid, Kiba. I'm sorry. I have no idea what to do." She groaned, feeling like an utter failure. She heard him let loose a disappointed breath as well. They tarried a moment, overwhelmed by the despair that all hope of ever finding Hinata had finally dissipated. This was truly the end of the road.

"Well," grumbled Kiba, "I suppose we should at least camp here. We'll head back to Konoha tomorrow." He began setting up a campsite. She gathered wood for a fire and lit it before starting a dinner of nonperishable rations. Every so often, their eyes would meet, and they'd look away awkwardly. They'd both come here sharing a quest to return a lost love, and now in failing that they had absolutely nothing in common except for a distant memory. She fell asleep that night, feeling miserable, while Akamaru and Kiba howled a short distance away. In her opinion, it was an odd way to mourn, but all people dealt with grief in different ways.

She dreamed about Hinata that night. In her vision, she was chasing after a woman that looked exactly like herself, but the faster she ran, the further she seemed to slip away. She struggled to move even faster, certain that she could catch her, but then she fell flat on her face. When she hit the dirt, she cried out in frustration, but then, much as she had the day before, she began talking to Hinata. "Sister, where are you? Where can we find you?"

At first, there was no answer, much like the previous day, but then... "Hanabi!" Hinata yelled, seemingly seeing her for the first time. She was still as distant as she had been, so even though she was shouting loudly, her voice barely sounded like a whisper. "I knew you'd come!"

"Hinata!" she cried back, reaching toward her. "We're here, just... just help us find you!"

"I'm... I'm..." She seemed to be struggling with what to say. "I can't remember," she said helplessly. "There was something I was supposed to remember but I've forgotten. I need your help, for remembrance. Would you come with me?" From far away, Hanabi could not read her expression, but Hinata's head tilted to one side.

"Yes!" she answered emphatically. "I am trying to find you. Help me!" She pulled herself up from off the ground, then made a last wild dash for the projected form of her sister. But this time, she was catching up. Heart pounding, she closed the distance between the two of them, happy at last that she would get to see who she had waited so long to see. She never slowed, but ran full force into her sister's open arms for a fierce hug. Her heart felt as if it would explode, and tears sprang from her eyes.

She woke up, gasping for breath, awestruck.

Then, she felt it. 'It' was a hard thing to describe, but she suddenly felt very energized, as if she had had a wonderful night of sleep. She felt a wash of happiness, almost giddiness, a tight constriction in her heart, and then like a beacon, an absolute  _certainty_ that she needed to travel south. "Kiba!" she gasped. "I think I've found her!"

His eyes widened. "How?" he asked. "Yesterday you said-"

"I feel it! She's pulling me south!" She took off at a dead run, Kiba hot on her heels, the campsite completely abandoned. They ran like wild goblins, not caring at all to move silently, driven by pure hope. When they had traveled for about two hours, she felt  _it_ again, drawing her slightly to the west. "This way!" she shouted, leading them toward it. Kiba studied Hinata's younger sister, wondering what sort of special power was supposedly leading them toward Hinata, but all he saw was a youthful face shining with excitement. She  _had_ been waiting a very long time.

They traveled this way for three full days, barely stopping at all. It was Kiba that had the sense to make them take rest. "It won't do if she needs to be rescued and we're half dead when we show up," he told her. She knew he was right, so she rested her body. She couldn't sleep, though, not when they were this close. She could still feel it, persistently telling her to keep moving. She tried to ignore it long enough to rest, but she enjoyed it too much. It was telling her that Hinata was alive. Every time it pulsed through it assured her she was still alive. She itched to be moving again, to be headed toward where she was. They only snagged a couple of hours here and there before picking up and moving again, both anxious to get to where she was and neither being able to catch any sleep. Somewhere in the middle of the fourth day, Hanabi suddenly stopped. "It's here," she said.

Kiba looked around them. It looked no different from anywhere else, and so it was his turn to appear doubtful. "Are you sure?" he asked, out of breath.

"Yes, I'm sure," she said impatiently. "It's somewhere here."

"Well," he sighed. "Let's start looking, then." They started walking, looking for any signs of civilization, but it was just trees. And more trees. Lots and lots of identical looking trees. They walked for perhaps fifteen minutes before Akamaru sat down and barked. "Wha?" Kiba said. Hanabi looked at him, wondering how on earth any man understood exactly what his dog was saying. "Akamaru says that this is an illusion. He says we've passed that lightning-damaged tree three times now."

Hanabi looked to where he was pointing and realized he was right. They  _had_  passed that tree already, because she had idly thought about how closely it resembled the rebirth of a broken angel, with its wings and arms stretched out behind it and its chin reaching for the sky. They clasped hands, jetting a thin stream of chakra into the other and dispelling the Genjutsu. As it turned out, there was an entire mansion built right here in the middle of nothing, and someone had gone through great pains to keep it hidden from the rest of the world. "What is this place?" Hanabi asked no one in particular. It was quite a beautiful house, actually.

"I have no idea, Hanabi, but… I think we may have found Hinata." He jerked his chin, and Hanabi followed where he was looking.

There she was, dressed in a lovely lavender kimono, watering a bed of zinnias. Her breath caught; Hinata had become a beautiful woman. "Hinata!" she shouted, unable to contain herself. Hinata looked up from what she was doing, surprised. She shaded her eyes from the sun with one hand, looking over at them and smiling. They waved as they ran toward her. She set down her watering can and glided toward them.

"Welcome," she said demurely. "Welcome to our home. Who may I tell the lord of the manor is visiting?"

Hanabi stopped in her tracks. Kiba stopped a minute later. Akamaru had never moved. Something was terribly wrong here. Hinata's smile looked plastic, surreal. "Hinata," Hanabi said, confused. "Don't you recognize either of us?"

She blinked. "I don't think I've ever seen either of you. Who are you?" Kiba and Hanabi shared a troubled look.

"Ah, I see you've met my blushing bride," said a silky man's voice from their left. A well-to-do looking man had just exited the house, dressed in azure silks. Hanabi had no idea who he was or could have been, but knew she didn't recognize him from the current roster of the Akatsuki. Kiba had said she had disappeared during an Akatsuki fight, though, so he must have been in some way connected. "Hinata, don't be rude, who are our guests?" he asked her.

She smiled sweetly toward him. "I am not sure, Daisuke, for they were only just about to tell me." She turned back to them. "Don't keep him waiting, he's very rough when he is angry." She adopted a far off expression, as if she were entranced. Hanabi's hands curled into fists at her mention of him being rough. How dare he!

"I'm Hanabi," she declared. "And I'm Hinata's sister. What have you done with her?"

Daisuke chuckled. "Oh, that's just darling." He tsked. "I'm afraid she ran into one of my snares some time ago. Her memory was wiped as soon as I brought her here. You may just want to leave. She doesn't remember you, and she never will." He laughed.

_No!_

"Are you Akatsuki?" she demanded.

"Hrm? Akatsuki? Never heard of them." His face did not appear to be lying, but that didn't mean he wasn't, either.

"Then who are you? And what do you want with Hinata?" Kiba interjected, shaking his fist.

"I'm Daisuke. No one's really heard of me. I've been living here alone for twenty years, hidden in a fortress of Genjutsu. I'm quite surprised you've even found us. But if your intention is to take away my little dolly here, then I'm going to have to ask you to  _leave_." His eyes became very cold and hard, then. She saw cruelty in them that belied the softness of his voice. She didn't like this man at all, and she hated even more the thought of him even  _looking_ at her delicate sister.

"Oh, Daisuke," Hinata said on a sigh. "They've only just arrived. Can't they stay for dinner at least?"

His eye twitched. "O-of course, darling. I'll show them to their rooms. You can continue whatever it was that you were doing, hrm?"

She nodded, then turned away from them and back to her watering can. "They're zinnias," she mumbled to no one, as if she were daydreaming aloud. "Zinnias, for a fond remembrance." She sighed again.

Hanabi tried to catch one more glimpse of her over her shoulder. She wanted to hug her so badly, but that Hinata had no idea who she was. It was frustrating enough to make her want to cry again, but she had to be strong. She needed to keep on playing an act and suffering for Hinata's sake. Hinata deserved it, and she would do what it took. "Zinnias… for remembrance," Hinata was mumbling again. "But I no longer remember who they're for."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zinnias, in different colors, mean different things. For the sake of the story, these ones mean "thoughts of an absent friend," "lasting love and affection," or "remembrance." There will be more explanation, but I wanted you to know why I made such a big deal of them here now.
> 
> I hope you are enjoying it so far.
> 
> ________________________________________  
> I think I may have failed to mention anime nights... so since it's story time now may be a good time.
> 
> After I got into Naruto several years ago, my sister maintained that she had liked the show first, making me the newcomer. However, I came to be more excited by it, more obsessed. She got me into other anime that she had been watching: Blood+ and Deathnote, and sometimes we'd catch Inuyasha and Bleach. Because every so often we'd sit together to watch anime, we began making an event out of it. We'd invite 1-2 of her more nerdy friends, make up some ramen, buy pocky and ramune, and wear our ninja headbands (I bought one for her and one of her friends).
> 
> Later, we'd become more attached to Miyuzaki's movies like Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, and the tradition would continue. To this day, i study for final exams by watching Spirited Away several times. I did an experiment years ago... I had the same classes first and second semester and for one semester I studied very hard. For the second semester I drew pictures and watched Spirited Away and got the same grades. Relaxation is very important!


	5. A Pity for Your Thoughts

Daisuke led them inside, shutting the door with a resounding and ominous boom. The inside of the house was massive, almost as if there were more room inside than the exterior suggested. Once alone, his eyes instantly became cruel little specks in a gaunt skull. It wasn't just an illusion though, in private, it seemed his outward appearance was changing dramatically. His skin sank and sagged, his eyes flushing out their brilliant blue color in favor of a deep and demonic gold. His teeth receded until all he had left were a couple of sets of sharp little fangs.

Akamaru whined.

She wanted to vomit. This… thing… had been putting his hands all over her sister and her sister was tricked into believing it was perfectly natural and desired. She would kill him as soon as she figured out how to get Hinata back. She vowed he would die slowly. A quick glance at Kiba confirmed that he had concluded the same thing. She idly wondered which one of them was seeing the slower death.

Daisuke stared them down, each in turn. "You're very clever little gits to have figured out my Genjutsu. That tells me you're skilled ninja. Your headbands indicated you are from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. I'm not much of a ninja myself. I'm very good with illusions, however, but I can't defeat you in a fight. That's why I'm telling you right now that you'd better not kill me. Hinata's mind is a pile of rotten mush, and the only way she's going to get out of that state is if I let her. Me!" He hissed. Hanabi's eyes narrowed. "However, we find ourselves in a bit of a pickle. If I refuse entirely to give her back, you can just kill me. I can see you are armed to the teeth. If I give her back, you could kill me anyway, but at the very least I'd be out of a lovely companion, even if I were allowed to stay alive." He leaned back against the door and laughed. "Funny, isn't it?"

Kiba and Akamaru growled. Hanabi snarled, "You'd better give her back if you know what's good for you!"

Kiba shot her a look. "We have to make sure she's given back with her memories," Kiba reminded her. Hanabi bit back her attitude and tried to make nice. This wasn't going to be easy. Kiba turned back to Daisuke. "What do you suggest?"

"A bargain," he replied, grinning cruelly. "I'll give you three days to try to make her remember who you both are. She need not remember anything more than that. If you can get her to remember, I restore the rest of her memory, let you all go, no harm done, and you let me live in peace. If you fail to get her to remember, then you can either leave her here with me, or you can trade her out for you." His eyes fell on Hanabi. She shivered. "If you kill me though, she will never remember. It is a jutsu only I can unravel. If you kill me, you condemn her. Do we have a deal?" His eyes glittered.

"No," Kiba answered.

"Kiba!" she admonished. "What are you doing?"

"There's something he's not telling us, Hanabi. He has way too much control over the situation for us to just take him at his word. It's probably impossible to make her remember anything, in which case he wins either way. It's dangerous, particularly for you. It's a rigged deal." He turned back to Daisuke. "No deal, you arrogant son of a bitch."

The demonic man pouted. At least, Hanabi thought he did. With those thin, translucent lips it was kind of hard to really tell. "That's too bad," he sighed woefully. "I guess you ought to leave then. I'll tell Hinata you send your love." He was mocking them, she realized. He knew very well he had the upper hand at this point. He had not underestimated their love-they weren't going anywhere without Hinata, not after this long and not after all the effort they had put forth to find her at all. She knew what she would have to do, now, to get her back with her memories intact.

"Deal," Hanabi said, contradicting Kiba. He snapped his attention back to her, surprised. She met his gaze solemnly. "It's my choice to make. She's my family, and if we lose this than I am the one stuck here or I am the one going back to face my father to explain my rash actions." She returned to Daisuke's leer. "If I can make her remember Kiba and myself, you return her memories and we all go home. That's the deal, right?"

"That's the deal," he agreed. "Are you suuure? It's not going to be easy." He sang the last sentence, clearly pleased with the turn of events.

"I'm sure," she responded, her voice shaking slightly. She wasn't sure she could do it, but… every time she considered the risk, she considered how much Hinata had already suffered. Would Hinata have done the same for her? She didn't know. Hinata didn't have any reason in the world to truly love her, but Hinata was also a person born to love. There wasn't a violent bone anywhere in her body. Hinata deserved her freedom, and if she had to, Hanabi was willing to take her place to grant her that freedom. If they lost, she would replace Hinata in this cruel world of illusions.

"Excellent," Daisuke said, rubbing his hands together.

They all rejoined Hinata in her garden where she was still muttering to her flowers. She stood in front of them, her head cocked to one side and a slender finger tapping upon her lips. "Remember, remember," she was saying to herself. Daisuke frowned at the scene. Hanabi noticed that once he was in the sunlight again, his handsome countenance returned. She wondered if it was some sort of weird bloodline limit connected to the sunshine. That  _would_  be hard to deal with… When Hinata noticed them, her smile returned. "Ah, you're back! You never told me your names." She waited patiently for them to introduce themselves.

Hanabi and Kiba exchanged a look, then as one they looked to Daisuke, who nodded as if to say "Go for it, losers." Hanabi answered for them both. "Hinata, I'm  _Hanabi Hyuuga_ , and this is  _Kiba Inuzuka_." She emphasized their names slowly, hoping to trigger any sort of memory in her sibling.

She didn't know what she really expected in return, but when Hinata cheerily returned a "How do you do? I'm Hinata," Hanabi's heart sank. This was going to be truly difficult.

"It's nice to meet you, Hinata," she replied with as much happiness as she could muster. She felt sad that this was how their first reunion was going to be, but it couldn't be helped. Daisuke left the scene, probably feeling as if his victory was assured. Hanabi watched him retreat, then got straight to work. "You don't remember me, Hinata, but I'm your little sister, Hanabi. Does my name sound familiar at least?"

Hinata blinked at her. "Hanabi? Hm. Hanabi, Hanabi, Hanabi… oh! Yes, it means fireworks, right?" Hanabi's face fell. "I have never seen fireworks, but I bet they are very nice."

"Yes, you have seen the fireworks, Hinata," she corrected gently. "When we were little, there were always fireworks on the eve of the new year, don't you remember? When I could walk, you held my hand and we'd watch them together, and we'd always imagine what the shapes were in the sparks. And then sometimes, on the way back home, we'd pretend we _were_  fireworks, and we'd run around making fizzing noises until we'd jump in the air and yell 'boom!' "

Kiba chuckled. "Yeah, or you remember six years ago, when you were still sad that Naruto wasn't back from his missions yet and you wanted to ask him to go see the fireworks with you for the new year, but I took you instead. I brought a bottle of champagne to celebrate, but you wouldn't stop talking about  _him_."

Hanabi jerked her gaze over to him. Was Hinata in love with someone else? It must have been hard for Kiba to want to spend time with her only to have her gush about another guy. No wonder he'd never told her how he felt.

Hinata frowned, looking troubled. "I'm sorry, I have no idea what you are talking about. Have we been places together?"

"Yes, Hinata. We went out a little over five years ago, to a nice dinner for your birthday. We've been on the same team for almost ten years," Kiba reminded her patiently.

"But, that's impossible," she said slowly. "I've always lived here with Daisuke. He's the only one I've ever known. You must have me confused with someone else.

Hanabi made a mental note to kill Daisuke slowly… next to the other mental note to kill Daisuke slowly. Kiba looked very upset, and he removed himself from the garden for a little while to calm himself down. Wise of him, Hanabi decided, not to lose his cool in front of Hinata. His departure left her alone with Hinata, so she took the opportunity to talk about Kiba. "He's in love with you, you know," she said quietly. "And he's a very nice man," she added, surprising herself a little. It was true, though. She supposed any guy that spent years searching for his unrequited love was worth a damn in her book. She only wished that Hiruo-hell, anyone, really-would have spent any effort at all to make time for her away from her father. Kiba had to be something if he had endured so much for even a  _chance_ to be with Hinata. She had not even indicated to him that she wanted him.

"Yes," Hinata said wistfully. "He is very nice, isn't he?" Hanabi realized with regret that she meant Daisuke, and wanted to kick herself and puke at the same time.

"Not Daisuke... Kiba. He's been upset ever since you've been gone." Upset, depressed, emotionally destroyed, worried beyond all reason, scared shitless...

She blinked. "But I just said I've never left! And keep your voice down. If Daisuke hears that there's another man here-"

"Oh screw Daisuke!" Hanabi snapped, finally losing patience. "Hinata, he has you brainwashed. He wiped away your memories of us to keep you here so you'd never try to escape, and now it's keeping you from leaving with us. Can't you see?" She grasped Hinata's shoulders and willed her to see the truth.

"Leave? I can't leave!" She squeaked with panic.

"WHY NOT?" Hanabi roared into her face, her eyes going wide.

"Because... because..." she faltered, then became distressed. "Because... because..."

"You can't remember  _why_ , can you, Hinata?" she pushed, disgusted.

Tears welled up in her sister's lovely eyes. She shook her head violently. "No. I can't remember. I can't remember! I can't remember... why they are here." She finished on a whisper, as if afraid 'they' might hear her.

"Why  _who_ are here?" she asked, exasperated.

"The zinnias, of course," she responded pitifully, wiping a tear from her eyes. "It's always about the zinnias.  _For remembrance_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I would totally search for my sister for years if she were not found, bollocks to the rest of the world! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! I
> 
> Story time-Sometime during the last year I got puppy love, meaning I really really really wanted a dog, and my happiness was hinged on it. I lived with my sister, and although she got puppy love just after I did, she was the first to actually get a dog. We drove 2 hours to a rescue where she had one picked out, and we adopted Max, an 8 year old australian shepherd. He very soon became known as the perverted old man dog. Although he was sweet, he had these ridiculous quirks neither of us will ever forget. He steals underwear, for one thing, and has stolen woman-trash out of the bathroom. That, and he spends hours licking himself. He loves it. Not only does he lick himself, though, he makes the nastiest sounds when he does it. He slurps, groans, and snuffles. I have to throw shoes at him to make him stop, and then he just gives me this look. Like, "Are you serious right now?"
> 
> Anyway, yeah. That's Max. ^_^


	6. The Zinnias

She'd spent the day grilling Hinata with their childhood memories, and it had gone incredibly poorly. Every time she mentioned their childhood memories, Hinata stared back blankly. It was as if she were just being polite, letting Hanabi tell her whatever she wanted to say and smiling back helplessly with nothing to respond. Every time she pressed her about Daisuke, she got all calf-eyed but maintained that they must not upset him or anger him. Worst of all, every so often she went on a tangent about her zinnia bed and became very stressed.

It all came back to those flowers. Hinata was fixated on her zinnias, but why? As she lay in the plush oversized bed provided by Daisuke, she thought about them more and more. What did the flowers mean? Over and over again, Hinata repeated something about remembrance. She did vaguely remember from school that zinnias had many meanings. Some were for friendship, some for affection and love, and some for remembrance, but that didn't seem relevant. Hinata didn't remember anything except for her life here, and those memories seemed pretty worthless. But that didn't explain why they flowers seemed to upset her, either, unless she was remembering something particularly unpleasant. Was that it?

While she was deep in thought, she heard the soft click of a door, and the gentle shuffle of feet. Curious, she quietly slipped out of bed and out of her room. She caught a glimpse of someone just as they turned the corner of the hallway, and she hurriedly caught up to where it had disappeared. Thinking a little belatedly that this might be dangerous, she palmed a kunai in case anything went awry; Art of the Ninja, 101. Just as the figure exited the house, though, the light of a full moon illuminated her face: Hinata. What was she up to? Hinata left the main door open so as not to make a sound, then slipped outside. Hanabi spared a moment to consider what had just happened. The supposedly brainwashed Hinata was sneaking around at night time. That was… more than just a little weird.

When Hanabi found her, Hinata was kneeling in front of her zinnia bed as if in prayer. She was talking to herself again, she realized, her eyebrows laced with concern. "I don't remember, I don't remember," she was muttering. "Why can't I remember why you're here?" She splayed her hands out in front of her, beseeching her garden. "What are you doing here?"

Hanabi sat down next to her, seizing the opportunity to give Hinata a little push while she was acting strange. "Those are very pretty flowers, Hinata. Can you tell me about them?"

She didn't take her eyes off the flower bed, and when she answered she seemed almost to still be talking to herself, nodding all the while. "Daisuke said that I could plant whatever I wanted, and I planted zinnias. Zinnias, for remembrance. That's what they had always told me." She paused. "Wait a second… who told me that? Someone said that you plant the zinnias to remember someone important. Who said that? Who?"

"Lasulo-sensei," Hanabi offered quietly.

She clapped her hands, victorious. "Yes! Lasulo—" She cut off suddenly and turned to Hanabi with a strange look in her eyes. "Who?"

"Lasulo-sensei, the kunoichi who teaches the flower arranging workshops in school." She tried not to betray the wild fluttering of her heart. Hinata had remembered something! "Did you enjoy that part of school?"

Hinata ignored the question, trapped back to her own thoughts, her eyes already back on the flowers. "Lasulo-sensei said they were for remembrance, so I planted them like Daisuke said. But they were  _for_  something. Grrr!" she growled, frustrated. "Why are you here?" She stood up, deeply disturbed, and began interrogating the flowers as she paced back and forth. Hanabi waited, afraid to disturb her thought process. "YOU are a flower that I planted," she stated, pointing to them. "And you are planted for remembrance. Aren't you? Yes, you are. Aaaand, if I planted you it meant that I knew that because I was really really really good at the flower workshops in class. That means that yes, you ARE planted for remembrance, because I say so. So if I planted you, that means that… if I un-plant you, would the memory I locked into the soil when I planted you for remembrance be un-remembered by the dirt and be released?"*** She stopped pacing, staring at the flowers who said nothing in return. "That settles it then," she said nodding. "I shall un-plant you."

She sank to her knees and began pulling up the flowers, one by one, grabbing each between both hands and pulling them out of the soil, roots and all. "Hanabi," she commanded, "help me. They're being stubborn."

Hanabi did as she was told and knelt next to her in the garden, pulling up the flowers as she had asked, watching her from the corner of her eye. She held on to them, just in case. They seemed to be very dear to Hinata, and in case she wanted them to be put back, Hanabi didn't want them to get trampled. She tucked them into the crook of her arm and kept working. Hinata seemed very absorbed in her work, and she diligently kept pulling flowers until the flower bed was bare. When at last she had finished, she dusted off her hands and stepped back, her hands on her hips. She stared down at the dirt and nodded, seemingly satisfied, before turning to Hanabi.

When her eyes fell on Hanabi, her mouth dropped open in shock, her eyes widening like lunar panels absorbing the moon. Hanabi didn't know what to think, so she stood there, rooted to the spot, enduring the scrutiny. Hinata continued to stare. Then, as if waking from a dream, she shook herself and thrust her hand palm up toward Hanabi. "Hanabi," she hissed, her tone entirely different, "lend me your kunai." Hanabi stared for a moment, unsure what had just happened. "Now!" she snapped.

Wordlessly, Hanabi set the flowers down and retrieved the knife from her belt. She handed it over, hoping that Hinata's changed attitude had nothing to do with using that knife on her. As soon as Hinata's hands had closed over the knife, she turned and sprinted for the house. Confused, Hanabi followed. Who did she mean to kill? Kiba, or Daisuke? It was possible that the zinnias had helped her remember that she didn't belong here, but it was equally as likely that they had reminded her of something Kiba had done. After all, Hanabi did not know the exact circumstances of Hinata's disappearance. What if Kiba had not told her the complete truth? She stayed as close to Hinata as she dared as her sister dashed through the house. She slid to a stop in front of a plain door like any other, then silently twisted the doorknob and pushed it in. She eased her body through the crack sideways. Hanabi peeked in through the crack just as Hinata shrieked a war cry and leapt upon the body in the bed, stabbing mercilessly. Hanabi felt a momentary panic as she worried about the identity of the figure on the bed, but she supposed it didn't matter… whoever it was was certainly dead now. Hinata continued to yell as she hacked at the body, and just then Kiba and Akamaru showed up behind her in the doorway.

Hinata's cries slowly changed into sobs until she was crying as she mutilated the corpse on the bed. Finally, she tossed the knife aside and stared at the ruined form beneath her. She held up her blood-stained hands in front of the face that no longer existed and let out one more mad scream, eyes wide. Then, spent of pissed off energy, she let her hands and face fall, and just resolved to weeping uncontrollably.

Kiba and Hanabi exchanged glances. It was safe now. They each came around to either side of her and grabbed a bloody arm, lifting her light frame off of the revolting scene and carrying her from the room. They took her outside, back to the fateful zinnia bed, and leaned her up against Akamaru. Animals were always good for comforting in times like these. Kiba sat to one side of her and Hanabi took up the other, and together they let her cry out her frustration until she was ready to speak about the entire ordeal.

Finally, she spoke, her voice raw with emotion. "It was the zinnias," she offered softly.

"Huh?" Kiba asked. "What do you mean?"

She smiled gently. "Zinnias are planted for remembrance. I learned about them during the flower arranging workshops. They were my favorite flowers. As soon as I got home, I asked Mother if I could plant a bed of my very own, and she allowed it. When Hanabi was three, she wanted to help me transplant my zinnias, so I let her hold them for me while I dug the holes. She was so cute that day, like a poster child, smiling and giggling in the sunlight and continually sniffing the flowers. She had her arms wrapped around the poor plants, squeezing them too hard, like she was giving them a bear hug. That was my favorite memory of Hanabi and me. So when I wound up here, Daisuke threatened to kill me if I didn't let him erase my memory, so I agreed on the sole condition that I be allowed to plant flowers before I let him do that. He thought it was a silly request, and was suspicious, but I told him it was because I was very skilled at choosing harmonious flower combinations and I wanted to plant before I lost that knowledge, so he let me. I planted zinnias, for Hanabi, because I never wanted to forget, even though I knew I would." She fixed Hanabi with a gaze so full of love it brought tears to Hanabi's eyes. "I planted them for you. I didn't think you'd actually come."

"Why wouldn't I?" Hanabi asked, troubled by the sound of her voice as she said the words. A lump formed in her throat.

"We haven't spoken in years," Hinata said softly. "And I know Father loved you best. I suppose I just assumed that he had convinced you to hate me, somehow." She wrapped her arms around herself.

 _That_ broke the ice. "Hinata, I'm so sorry!" she burst out, unable to hold it back any longer. She threw her arms around her, immediately erupting in tears. She had waited so long for this moment. It had been stressful, painful, and sad to have to keep her love for her sister a secret all of those years, and nothing was going to ruin this moment. Her sister was alive, and safe, and was  _right here_. "I was so worried about you! I've never stopped thinking of you, even though Father tried to make me. I'm so glad you're alive!"

Hinata looked surprised. "Sorry for what, Hanabi? It's not your fault." She returned the embrace, holding and comforting her younger sister.

"I should have looked for you sooner, no matter what Father said. You deserved better than that." Hinata blinked, but Hanabi rushed onward, not about to stop apologizing for what she knew had been wrong. "I'm sorry that I ever agreed with Father about you. I didn't want to, but he forced me to be who he wanted me to be, and I wasn't strong enough to stand up to him." Her eyes were bright with tears, pleading for forgiveness. "I'm sorry I didn't come for you sooner, or send birthday presents, or... or..."

"Hanabi," Hinata admonished, holding her sister at arm's length. "It's not-your-fault. Father is a very imposing man. No one in this world knows that better than me. I admire your bravery. It must have been very difficult being an only child. Now. Stop crying. We ought to go home. I don't want to be here another minute. This place sickens me." She tarried another moment to wipe the tears from Hanabi's face and give another reassuring smile. Hanabi's heart swelled with love; her sister was ever the sweetest person alive.

As Hinata stood, though, Kiba cleared his throat to make his presence known, and Akamaru whuffed. Hinata turned to face him, and Hanabi spoke up. "Kiba helped me find you," she told her, crediting him for his assistance. "He has been looking for you for years."

Hinata looked surprised again. "How long has it been?" she asked.

Kiba answered for them all. "Five years." Hinata gasped. "We were separated during a fight with the Akatsuki. We looked for you, but there wasn't a trace. Neither me nor Akamaru could catch your scent. I looked... for a long time... until my friends begged me to stop doing it to myself and my mother actually dragged me home. I never wanted to stop looking for you, and... well, I'm sorry, too, Hinata." He moved closer to her.

"Why is everyone so sorry?" she asked plaintively. Classic Hinata, to think herself so unworthy of affection. She was more concerned for the fact that being sorry was making them both ache inside, not for her situation at all. "Sorry for what?"

Kiba gripped her gently by the waist and tugged her closer, bringing their faces within inches of each other. Hinata barely moved, and Hanabi guessed that she might be holding her breath. Kiba lowered his voice as he said, "Sorry I never told you that you mean...  _everything..._ to me," and kissed her, softly and full of more meaning than he could ever say.

Hanabi clapped politely, smiling. He held the kiss probably longer than might have been prudent, but under the circumstances, Hanabi didn't complain. She was eighteen now, not a child any longer, and she knew very well what adult people did. She averted her gaze after a moment, though. Kiba and Hanabi each deserved their private moment. He'd waited for her, too, and he'd been worried about her safety a lot longer than Hanabi had. When she heard Hinata's breathless gasp of amazement, she turned back to them, smiling cheerfully. Hinata's face was bright red and she looked like she might pass out, but there was the faintest shadow of a shy smile there, too. It made Hanabi glad to see it. "Alright, my dearests," she said brightly. "Let's go home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***This seems to me like something Captain Jack Sparrow might say were he considering the reason for a long-forgotten zinnia bed. Ha!
> 
> Personally, I love this scene. The zinnias were one of my smarter ideas... it's one of the hardest things, in my opinion, to think up a writing device that is stretched out over the majority of the story (i.e, a prophecy). There's not much more for me to say... I just really liked writing this scene. I hope you liked it too!
> 
> Story time! When I was younger, we used to live on the top of a hill next to a huge valley filled with forest. On one of my birthdays (I think I was like 10, making my sister like 7), I had three friends over and my parents made me take my sister along. We went on an adventure through the valley and had a blast making things out of natural clay and all around exploring the forest. Well, after a while my friends and I wanted to ditch my sister (she was an annoying little brat back then) so we pretended that there was a huge snake we were frightened of and yelled for her not to come any closer and to go home to get help. My sister and I had explored these same woods plenty of times and at my tender age I assumed she knew her way home.
> 
> Well, she didn't, and she got very very lost. When my friends and I returned from our magnificent adventure my parents asked where my sister was. I thought she'd made it home, and that's when we realized she was lost (a couple of hours after we'd ditched her). Well, we formed a search party and started walking through the woods. My parents weren't happy. We thought she was eaten by a coyote or something (had I been older I might have been more scared). Sometime near sunset we got a phone call. She had walked through the woods, like 5 miles away, and ended up at someone's house who knew us.


	7. The Power of the Hyuuga Clan

They three stood in the Hyuuga courtyard, and were already drawing eyes. Gradually, they had attracted a significant amount of pale-eyed attention. Hanabi watched with new eyes as they assembled, looking curious but disturbed. She could only imagine what they were thinking with the long-forgotten Hyuuga among them. Hinata's very name had been forbidden over a decade ago. The Hyuuga family slowly gathered around the reunited sisters. They whispered amongst themselves but said nothing to any of them. Hanabi noted that, so far, Hiashi was not among them. Stealing a glance at Hinata told her that her sister had noticed, too. Hanabi was excited, but not nervous. She regarded the assembling clan members with pride; these people were her responsibility now. It was now her duty to ensure them a successful and prosperous future, and she planned on it. She had great confidence that she was about to go down in history as the wisest and most compassionate Hyuuga leader yet, no joke.

"My most honored family," she began. "Please take all the time you need to gather the whole clan. I will soon address you formally as your clan leader." There were some smiles, some exchanged looks, some sighs of relief. She realized that there was a lingering air of nervousness regarding Hinata. Perhaps the clan feared that she was planning on abdicating in favor of Hinata. Whatever it was that they were worried about, she had apparently assuaged some fears. Some of the crowd dispersed, and over the next several minutes, more of the clan arrived. Before long, nearly the entire clan was assembled.

And then, Hiashi and her mother exited the main household. He still looked every bit as noble as he ever had. He had the shadow of a smile on his face, proud, perhaps, that his heir was about to take his place and do him proud. "We've been worried about you Hanabi," he began as he came near them. "When you weren't here for your birthday we nearly sent a search party." A moment after he said it, though, his eyes fell on his eldest daughter, and his smile disappeared. Slowly his face became a mask of anger, and though he had not said a word yet, Hanabi knew he was thinking of several, and none of them pleasant. She inhaled a deep breath, preparing herself for her final stand against her father. This was it… the moment she had waited for. "What," began Hiashi, his voice shaking with rage, "is she doing here?"

"Father," Hanabi challenged, her chin raised in defiance. "May I present to you your long lost daughter, Hinata, my elder sister." She bowed her head slightly, just the perfect angle to show respect without deference.

Hinata, for her part, bowed her head with respect and deference and said nothing. Hanabi's heart went out to her. It can't have been easy to be standing there. They had spoken just a little of this moment before they had arrived. Hanabi had told her she meant to bring her back to the family now that she was able. She hoped that Hinata would be prepared to face her father with all the confidence and strength that she had never had.

Hiashi's eyes narrowed. "You know very well she is not welcome here, Hanabi. What is the meaning of this?" Hiashi never took his eyes off Hinata, and Hinata never raised her head. Hanabi wondered if it was because she was afraid of their father or if she didn't want any emotion betrayed in her face.

Hanabi raised her head however. This was that moment. "Hinata is, now and forevermore, welcome in the Hyuuga clan, her blood relations. Her family." She left it at that, hoping beyond hope her father would leave it at that, too, for his own sake. It was unlikely, however, as he proved next.

"No, she is not welcome here. I made that law when I exiled her as a child." He visibly shook, furious at this turn of events.

"You made that law, Hiashi Hyuuga, as clan leader. I am now clan leader and I rescind that law. Hinata was always a part of this family, just one you chose to ignore. Her blood is our blood. She belongs here, and never again will she be forced to feel as if she is unwelcome."

"If that's the way it's going to be, then I refuse to step down as clan leader." There was a gasp among the family. Their mother looked to their father with an anguished expression in her eyes. Hanabi hoped she was not hurting too badly. It could not have been easy to be in her shoes right now. Her younger daughter was challenging her husband and bringing her older daughter back to her company, all amidst a family feud.

Hanabi paused, letting her father think he had won, then she made the stand. "Actually, your words were that the power of the clan was to become mine upon my eighteenth birthday. Since that was your decree all of your power to boss around the clan at will dissipated a few days ago. I rule here now, whether you decide to change your mind or not. Your power within the clan is the same as any other Hyuuga family member." There was a murmur amongst the crowd. She knew what they were thinking; she had not made the distinction that he now held the same power as a main branch family member. She had said 'Hyuuga family member.' They were wondering if that meant she had banished her own father to the branch family. They would soon find out. She could see by the anger in her father's eyes that he was thinking the same thing but knew he had lost. She was right; all the clan power was hers, and the clan would feel traditionally obligated to follow the rightful leader, her. Whatever she said at this point was law, whether Hiashi and the rest of the clan appreciated that or not.

She turned to address the rest of her family. "Please welcome back my older sister, Hinata," she said, bowing her head again in respect. She waited while they quietly murmured their welcomes, still a little unused to the sudden shift in power. Something bone-deep was still holding them in fear of her father. Her next declaration would change that. Hinata finally picked her head up, heartened by the welcome from the Hyuugas. She smiled.

"Now," Hanabi continued. "Our family has long held the tradition of two households; one, the main family, to hold the clan secrets. Another, the branch family, to protect the main family and the secrets they protect. Though this system was put in place with noble intentions, it has evolved into a corrupt system of power abuse that has practically enslaved the greater part of the clan. The branch family has lived in fear of a pain that only the main family could inflict. Because of this fear, the members of the great and noble Hyuuga clan that showed any potential were stunted. Those that should rightly have been honored members of the family wasted their power as slaves." She kept her eyes away from her father. This was a declaration for her people, not a petulant attack against her father's rules. "I hereby decree that the two household system be abolished-" there was a dramatic increase in volume among those assembled "-and the curse marks will be removed at once." She waited as they talked amongst themselves; talking now had no point since no one would hear her. When they finally dulled the roar enough for her to continue, she finished, "Please, my dearest family, approach me here so that I may remove your brands."

"You can't do that!" Hiashi yelled. The crowd momentarily hushed.

She felt a momentary pang of sadness. She had hoped her father could somehow see the wisdom in her actions, or at least see that the rest of clan was receptive to her wishes and at least keep his mouth shut, but apparently not. "Hiashi Hyuuga, you speak out of turn. And for the record, yes, I can, and I am doing it as soon as is physically possible. Our people have persecuted each other for far too long."

He kept angrily telling her to stop, but she was ignoring him now. She felt her point had been made, and she turned her smiling face to the first man to have his curse mark removed, none other than her cousin Neji. "Greetings, cousin," she said brightly, already forming the hand signs of the jutsu that would remove the mark upon his forehead.

He barely nodded his head, too choked up for words. She could see it in his face; he could not really believe what was happening, and he dared not speak until it had happened, perhaps in fear of breaking whatever magical illusion was at work here. She finished weaving her hands in the intricate combination of signs, then pressed her fingers to his temples. The mark glowed for a second, then vanished without a trace. When she dropped her hands, he touched his fingers to his brow, feeling for any sign that it was still there. Hinata drew out a mirror from her pocket and held it aloft for him. She smiled at him, a warm smile for her cousin, who was now her equal in the eyes of the family. Neji stared at his reflection for a minute, still not daring to speak. Finally, he turned to Hanabi and threw his arms around her. "Greetings, cousin," he choked. Then he whispered, just for her, "Thank you. Thank you, Hanabi." He then turned to embrace Hinata. "Welcome back, cousin." She hugged him back and thanked him for his welcome. Kiba watched the whole exchange with a smile. It was a rather heartwarming sight.

Hanabi continued to remove the curse marks from all members of the Hyuuga clan. At first, her family members regarded each other strangely, unsure of what to think of the new change. After only a few moments, however, most were unable to tell each other apart from who was a former main family member and who was a former branch family member. Hanabi noticed at once when the collective attitude shifted into something more optimistic and more positive. She hoped they were thinking like she was now, that giving power back to the branch family meant that the clan as a whole was now a stronger force. Without the fear of the pain inflicted by the main family, the branch family members could now practice and develop their strengths to help protect the clan. She noticed that her father's face, though still angry, was scanning the faces of the family too quickly. Perhaps he was realizing that the mark had been the only thing different about them, and now even he could not tell them apart.

When the last branch member had been rid of their mark, she addressed them again. "Now that that business is concluded," she told them smiling, "I have one more change to enact. Though I am happy to be your leader and I love you all with all my heart, this power was never supposed to be mine. I now pass the title of Hyuuga clan leader and all associated power to my elder sister, Hinata Hyuuga, whose power it should have been all along."

The crowd gasped. She couldn't blame them; they'd been through a lot today.

Hinata's eyes were wide with shock. They had not talked about this, and she was not prepared for it, which was exactly how Hanabi had wanted it. This was her gift to her sister. This was the only tangible thing she could give to her older sister, the only thing she had control of that could be given away. This was her only power, and in giving it to Hinata, she also said something more. She was willingly giving up the power to dictate the rules that would govern the rest of her life, and giving it to someone who should have no reason not to abuse them upon her. Hinata had every reason to resent Hanabi for her years of favor in their father's eyes, and had no real reason to love her, for they had not seen each other for most of their lives. This was her ultimate surrender. It gave Hinata the power to forgive her or punish her. Besides that, it was true that Hinata should have been clan leader, as was tradition, and it felt right to give it back to her. As the gravity of the decision took root in Hinata, tears sprang to her eyes. A smile bloomed across her face, and she hugged Hanabi, who returned the embrace. "Thank you, Hanabi," she whispered. "You have no idea how much that means to me." They held each other for a moment, then Hinata turned to face her people.

She stood facing them, tears bright in her eyes, waiting for her throat to clear enough for her to articulate sounds. "My dear family. It is with great humility and honor that I accept this position as your leader. I want you to know that I have always had a special place in my heart for our family, even if I was not allowed to be a part of it." The crowd was smiling. Hanabi hoped it meant they were glad to have her back. Giving Hinata her position was a bit of a gamble for the clan. They would need to think completely for themselves whether or not they would welcome her and accept her as their leader. It seemed to Hanabi that her hunch had been correct, and they were ready for a change, thanks to her father's tyranny. "However," Hinata continued, "both because I have not been close to the clan and because I know that there is another in the clan who is more suited for the position, I am giving this honor to my cousin, Neji Hyuuga."

The crowd gasped again, and Hiashi left the area, shaking his head. Hinata and Hanabi both knew that they hadn't heard his last, but he was done for now. Hanabi was staring at Hinata, unsure of how to take her first and last decree as clan leader. She supposed she should not really be surprised, given Hinata's demeanor, but she had put a lot of thought into Hinata's position as head of the clan, and for her plan to be so short-lived was a little disorienting.

Hinata continued. "I know it may come as a bit of a shock giving a former branch family member the position as your leader, but no one is closer to the heartbeat of this family. He is our strongest and most capable, and I know he will make us all very proud." She waved for him to join her on the pavilion.

Neji moved very slowly as if afraid he might fall over. When he finally joined them upon the pavilion, he caught their eyes each in turn, his back to the crowd, waiting for the joke to become clear. Finding nothing but reassuring smiles on the countenances of his cousins, he returned the smile and nodded his head graciously. After taking one, single deep breath, Neji's entire demeanor changed. His back straightened, and a smile stuck on his face-one that would remain there for many years to come. He appeared visibly lighter, as if a heavy burden were lifted off his shoulders. It was an odd thought, considering he had just gained responsibility instead of losing one. It was obvious to both Hanabi and Hinata at that moment that Neji had been a born leader. This was his calling. All of Hanabi's doubts about Hinata's decision completely vanished. Hanabi had been wise to give power to Hinata, and Hinata had been wiser to give that power to Neji. She sighed with relief. The world was starting to feel more correct.

Neji faced the family. "I would be honored to lead you," he told them. "It seems that all our fates have suddenly changed. Perhaps this is enough change for this day. I release you from all of your duties for the rest of the evening so we can celebrate the future. My cousins and I will plan a celebratory party at sunset. Go back to your houses and reflect upon today." The Hyuuga family collectively saluted him with a lighthearted cheer, then slowly left the square to do as they had been told. Neji turned back to his cousins, his face shining with peace. "Would you two do me the great honor of inviting our friends?"

The two of them nodded, then hugged him again.

Kiba, who for most of the ordeal had been mostly forgotten, came forward and clasped forearms with Neji. "Congratulations, you arrogant prick," he teased. "It seems your snobby attitude was finally noticed." He grinned.

Neji thanked him. "Yeah, I guess so. Want to come with me to get a couple of casks of wine from the pub?" Kiba happily agreed, and they left the square, headed toward the pub and talking low amongst themselves.

"Well," Hanabi said to Hinata. "That was a surprising turn of events."

"Not really," Hinata answered. "I'm not cut out for leadership. I'm very comfortable with following orders, and I don't like all the pressure. Neji's been fighting pressures his whole life, wanting to have anything of his own. Now he has something he truly cares about, something he can be proud of. I think we all got what we wanted in the end."

"Yeah," Hanabi agreed. "Everyone except Father."

Hinata's cheeriness sobered. "Well, to be fair, if Father wanted anything other than two happy daughters and a happy nephew, then I think that's Father's problem to deal with. I still love him, but I'd rather get to spend time with you and-" she stopped, as if surprised by her own words. "And Kiba." Hanabi giggled. "We're going to have to deal with him again, but in the meantime I think his happiness was a worthy price to pay. I feel really good about what we did today."

"Me too," Hanabi concurred. "Now, let's get our celebrating faces on, and after this little party, we're going to have a lot of catching up to do."

Hinata nodded and grasped her hand. They began skipping like little girls again away from the Hyuuga residence. "Are you going to help me?" Hinata asked her.

"With what?" Hanabi asked.

"Planting a new bed of zinnias."

Hanabi nodded. "Ah. Good idea. This is a day I'd like to remember, too. Of course I'll help you."

They walked for a moment in silence, simply enjoying the moment. "Hanabi," Hinata said. "Thanks for saving me."

Hanabi smiled. "No need to thank me. We're sisters. I love you."

Hinata smiled back. "I love you, too."

Hanabi leaned over and kissed her cheek, then ran away giggling. They chased each other the rest of the way into town, and never suffered a single day apart ever again.

* * *

 

The End


End file.
